Foreign minister says Hamid Karzai may have credibility problems but he needs to improve security

Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller has reiterated concerns over the security situation in Afghanistan following the controversial presidential election.

Incumbent president Hamid Karzai has been declared the winner of the much-disputed election by default after his opponent pulled out citing concerns about fraud.

Møller has previously expressed concern over Karzai’s ability to uphold his promises of democracy but said the greatest pressing problem in Afghanistan and Pakistan was security.

‘Karzai has a big credibility problem because he can’t get the Afghan people to believe in democracy. But right now it’s the security situation in the country that we have to get under control,’ Møller told Politiken newspaper.

It was a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who said Karzai needed to secure control of all the regions and deliver stability to the country.

There are about 750 Danish soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force, primarily in the southern Helmand Province.